PARIS: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, facing multiple suspensions, inspired holders Paris St Germain to the first of a potential four trophies this season with a crushing 4-0 win over 10-man Bastia in the French League Cup final on Saturday.

In a repeat of the 1995 final, a first half brace by the Swedish star, completed by Edinson Cavani’s second half double, handed PSG a record fifth League Cup triumph and kept the Ligue 1 leaders in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple.

The win teed up Laurent Blanc’s side nicely for Wednesday’s visit of Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-final first leg with Auxerre awaiting them in next month’s French Cup final.

“It’s our first title, it was our aim. We are very happy,” club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told France 2 television. “We are also happy because we didn’t have any new injuries. We are ready for Barca.”

But PSG will be without Ibrahimovic when they host Barca at the Parc des Princes after his sending-off against Chelsea in the last 16 and the tempestuous striker will also miss four Ligue 1 matches after receiving another ban for his criticism of a referee.

Ibrahimovic has been in tremendous form recently, scoring a hat trick in the 4-1 win over St Etienne in the French Cup semi-finals midweek and bagging 13 goals in his last seven appearances for club and country. Once again, he was the man of the match at the Stade de France.

Bastia defender Sebastien Squillaci was sent off for the foul which led to Ibrahimovic’s 21st-minute penalty and the striker rifled in a shot from the edge of the area to double the lead just before half-time.

Cavani added more lustre to the win in the closing stages of the match with a fine header and a cool finish at the end of a counterattack.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2015

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